Air India to order 35 wide-body jets

Seattle: India's flag carrier Air India will place firm orders for up to 35 wide-bodied aircraft in addition to the 68 Boeing 777s and 787s ordered last year, a top official said.

"We are currently in the middle of a fleet restructuring plan, which has identified the need for additional capacity," V. Thulasidas, Air India's chairman and managing director, told Gulf News on the sidelines of a Boeing media briefing on the 787 Dreamliner rollout programme.

"We believe we will require an additional 30-35 wide-bodied aircraft and some more single-aisle aircraft for the low-cost brand."

He said the additional fleet will be required within three to five years as India's aviation industry is growing very fast.

Also, Air India is set to launch a number of services to the US, with Mumbai-New York flights scheduled to start on August 1, he added.

"Following our open skies agreement with the United States, we are now planning to start more flights to the US," he said.

"Following the Mumbai-JFK flights on August 1, we are planning to start New Delhi-New York, Mumbai-Chicago and Bangalore-San Francisco flights, pending new aircraft deliveries.

India's domestic aviation market is growing 40 per cent annually and international traffic through India surged 15 per cent last year, combining to make it the world's fastest growing aviation market.